5 Attempt...in desperate need

Aug 16, 2005

Dear Doc,

I have emailed you a few times with various questions. As I have thought over everything, I have two overall questions for you. My story once again is I have given unprotected fellatio to two men with no ejaculation, which said they were clean/negative (but I now realize who can you trust). Anyways, I have tested negative out to 18 weeks from my last exposure with Oraquick HIV 1/2 rapid test. At 17 weeks after last exposure (a week before my last negative) I came down with a headache on the left back side of my head (i never get headaches) which comes and goes, then small mostly painless sores on the inside of the lips and cheeks (last 5-6 days then clear up), also a tingling that I experience on my scalp (which only lasted teh first week and for seconds at a time) and excess mucus buildup in my throat, then at 19 weeks (currently) I have started to develope a deep cough. In all, most of these symptoms have be going on for the last 3 weeks. I will admit that I have been experiencing tightness in chest, shortness of breathe and lightheadedness ever since I started to worry about HIV which was about 2 months ago, which I imagine is from my massive anxiety. So the two questions I have are: 1) Are symptoms of ARS signs that you are seroconverting, or is it just signs of HIV in your system and that you can still seroconvert 2,3,...10 weeks after symptoms occur? In other words, does ARS always show up 2-3 weeks after exposure and could not happen 17 weeks after possible exposure? And how long will it take antibodies to be detected after ARS?
2) It is kinda a stretch and you might call me crazy, but would having your tonsils delay serconversion? My reasoning for this question is, my only possible transmission was oral, therefore the HIV would first travel through my tonsils (which are like a filter, correct?), couldn't the HIV stay in my tonsils for a while and then continue to the rest of the bloodstream, delaying my serconversion, say...17 weeks?
Doc, I think what you do is amazing and that you really are a gift from God, especially to us paranoid worry wells. I would really appreciate a response this time and would love to donate to your foundation.

Response from Dr. Frascino

Hi,

Dude, relax. Your HIV risk was extremely low and your negative HIV tests out to 18 weeks are definitive and conclusive. HIV is not your problem! Your only real problem now is "massive anxiety." I suggest you stop trying to dissect ARS symptoms and worrying about duration of the window period, because as I mentioned above HIV is not your problem. Regarding your tonsil theory, you are way off base. It just doesn't work like that.

If you are having difficulty accepting the wonderful news of your HIV-negative status, I suggest you seek counseling for these irrational and unwarranted fears and for your "massive anxiety" problem.

Thank you for your willingness to help others. Donation information for The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation can be found on the Foundation's Web site at www.concertedeffort.org.

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